Method of diathermic treatment by means of high frequency



March 9, 1937. ESAU 2,073,201

METHOD OF DIATHERMIC TREATMENT BY MEANS OF HIGH FREQUENCY Filed June 16,1933 Patented Mar. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES METHOD OF DIATHERMIC TREATMENTBY MEANS OF HIGH FREQUENCY Abraham Esau, Jena, Germany Application June16, 1933, Serial No. 676,195 In Germany January 21, 1928 11 Claims.

This invention relates to the treatment of abnormal physical conditionsby diathermic waves generated by high frequency electro-magnetic meansand has special reference to apparatus for controlling the applicationof such waves.

As set forth in my prior application for patent filed December 26, 1928and bearing the Serial Number 328,509, eventuating July 18, 1933, inPatent No. 1,918,386, and of which this application is a continuation inpart, I have made an improvement on the prior means employed wherein fordiathermic purposes high frequency oscillations were used whose wavelength ranged from a few hundred meters up to a few thousand meters andI have, in the aforesaid'application, set forth the manner in which suchwave lengths produced injurious effects on the body tissues.

In the present invention, I have provided a further improvement onprevious methods wherein a directed beam of high frequency oscillationshaving wave lengths not exceeding ten meters is used in such diathermictreatment and in this device, as in my prior device, the body un- 2 dertreatment is not allowed to function as ohmic resistance.

In the accompanying drawing, there is shown in a semi-diagrammaticmanner an apparatus for carrying this invention into execution.

In this drawing, as one means for the production of the desired shortwaves, a source of electric current is here indicated as a battery I 0.usual filament or cathode I2, grid I3 and plate 35 or anode H. A batteryl5 has its terminals connected to the terminals of the filament orcathode by conductors l6 and one terminal of the battery I0 is connectedto one of the conductors M3 by a conductor l1. 4 At I8 is a translatingdevice, ,here shown as a dipole, for the production of electro-magneticfield oscillations and one terminal of this device is connected to theremaining terminal of the battery It) by a conductor H! which is alsoconnected to the plate or anode l4 by a conductor 20. The remainingterminal of the device I8 is connected by a conductor 2| with the gridl3 and this grid is also connected to the remaining conductor I6, andthus to the cathode or filament l2, by a conductor 22. A choking coil 23is interposed in the conductor 22.

At 24 is a wave reflector of a type suitable for At II is a threeelement valve having the The arrangement is such that owing to the backcoupling of the tube between the oscillating circuit through the devicel8 and the grid circuit proper, undamped electrical oscillations aremaintained through the device l8 whose period of natural vibration isnot greater than that required for ultra-short waves of not more thanten meters length on account of the small internal capacities of thetube. Obviously, instead of the diagram shown, any other knownarrangement for the generation of short waves of the length desired maybe used.

Heretofore it has been the practice in carrying out diathermictreatments by means of. high frequency to either place treatmentelectrodes in direct contact with the body part to be treated, withliability of injury to the patient, or to dispose the body part betweenand in spaced relation to the treatment electrodes. The latter methodovercomes the objections to the direct contact method, but this lattermethod is sometimes also found objectionable, especially in the case oflengthy treatments as set forth in my aforesaid Patent No. 1,918,386,because of the liability of causing injurious effects upon operjustmentof the body part treated or itself be found diflicult of adjustment toproper position. The presentinvention, however, allows the use of such ashield to be dispensed with and the body part of the patient to beproperly disposed in the path of the wave beam and treated withoutinconvenience to the patient or operator or liability of injury tooperator or attendant from exposure to the rays, since by the use of thereflector the rays are concentrated to the desired degree and projectedin the form of a beam directly upon the part to be treated. Also by theuse of a translating device having a natural period of vibration forproducing an intense wave field of a frequency within a determined rangefound best suited for a specific character of treatment, maximumefliciency of operation is secured, since the treatment action may bedirected and controlled with great precision.

I claim:

1. In a therapeutic apparatus, a dipole, a reflector adjacent saiddipole directing the waves from the dipole in a definite direction, asource of current, a conductive connection between one element of saiddipole and one side of the source of current, a vacuum tube containing aplate, a

grid and a heater filament, a second conductive connection connectingthe remaining member of the dipole and said grid, a third conductiveconnection connecting the plate with the first conductive connection, afourth conductive connection between the remaining side of the source ofcurrent and the second conductive connection and including a filamentbattery and resistance in series, and conductive connections from eachend of said filament to the fourth conductive connection on oppositesides of said filament battery.

2. Apparatus for diathermic' treatment of a subject disposed in a'trajectory zone of treatment by means of high frequency waves,comprising generating means for generating ultrashort waves suitable forproducing internal heat in the subject to be treated, a path for saidwaves connected to said generating means and including a dipole forproducing an intense field at a focal point in sufficiently closeproximity to the subject to produce the thermic effect, and meansassociated with said dipole for directing! the waves as a beam throughsaid zone and directly against the subject.

3. Apparatus for diathermic treatment of a subject disposed in atrajectory zone of treatment by means of high frequency electro-magneticwaves, comprising a short wave generating means for generating electricwaves having a length not greater than ten meters, and including atranslating device for locally producing an intense wave field in saidtrajectory zone and means to direct the waves of the field as a beamthrough the zone directly against the subject to be treated.

4. Apparatus for diathermic treatment of a subject disposed in atrajectory zone of treatment by means of high frequency electro-magneticwaves, comprising a short wave generating means having a natural periodof vibration for generating electric waves having a length not greaterthan ten meters, a path for said waves connected to said generatingmeans and inc1uding a dipole for producing an intense wave field in saidtrajectory zone at a point spaced from I but located in close proximityto the subject, and means to direct the waves of the field as a beamthrough the zone directly against the subject to be treated.

5. Apparatus for diathermic treatment of a subject by means of highfrequency waves, comprising a translating device arranged and operativeto produce an electro-rnagnetic' field in close proximity to the subjectto be treated, means connected to said translating device for generatingand transmitting therethrough short electric waves of a length suitablefor producing internal heat in the proximately disposed subject, andreflecting means associated with said translating device and arranged toreflect the waves from the translating device in a treatment beamdirectly against the subject.

6. Apparatus for diathermic treatment of a subject by means of highfrequency electromagnetic waves, comprising means for generating shortelectric waves of a length suitable for producing internal heat in asubject to be treated, a path for said waves connected to said means andincluding a translating device for producing an intense wave field insufficiently close proximity to the subject to produce the thermiceffect, and reflecting means associated with said translating device andarranged to refiect waves from the translating device in a treatmentbeam directly upon the subject.

7. Apparatus for diathermic treatment of a subject disposed in atrajectory zone of treatment by means of high frequency electro-magneticwaves, comprising means for generating electric waves of a lengthsuitable for producing internal heat in the subject to be treated, apath for said waves connected to said means and including a dipole forproducin an intense wave field at a focal point in said zone, and aparabolic reflector for said waves disposed at said focal point andhaving the dipole located at its focus and operative to reflect thewaves through said zone as a beam directly upon the subject.

'8. Apparatus for diathermic treatment of a subject disposed in atrajectory zone of treatment by means of high frequency waves,comprising a short wave generating means having a natural period ofvibration for generating ultra-short electric waves of a length suitablefor producing internal heat in the subject to be treated, a path forsaid waves connected to said means and including a translating devicefor producing an intense wave fleld at a focal point in suflicientlyclose proximity to the subject to produce the thermic effect, andreflecting means associated with said translating device and arranged toreflect the waves from the translating device through said zone as abeam directly upon the subject.

9. Apparatus for diathermic treatment of a subject disposed in atrajectory zone of treatment by means of high frequency waves,comprising a short wave generating means for generating ultra-shortelectric waves of a length suitable for producing internal heat in thesubject to be treated, a path for said waves connected to said means andincluding a dipole for producing an intense wave field at a focal pointin sufficiently close proximity to the subject to produce the thermiceffect, and reflecting means associated with said dipole for reflectingthe waves through said zone as a beam directly upon the subject.

10. Apparatus for diathermic treatment of a subject disposed in atrajectory zone of treatment by means of high frequency waves,comprising a short wave generating means for generating ultra-shortelectric waves of a length suitable for producing internal heat in thesubject to be treated, a path for said waves connected to said means andincluding a dipole for producing an intense wave field at a focal pointin sufliciently close proximity to the subject to produce the thermiceffect, and a parabolic reflector associated with the dipole forreflecting the waves through said zone as a beam directly upon thesubject.

11. Apparatus for diathermic treatment of a subject disposed in atrajectory zone of treat ment by means of high frequency waves,comprising a short wave generating means for generating short waveshaving a length not greater than ten meters and including a translatingdevice operative to produce an intense electromagnetic field in saidtrajectory zone, and reflecting means associated with said translatingdevice and arranged to reflect the waves from the translating device ina treatment beam directly against the subject.

ABRAHAM ESAU.

